I was thinking the other day about what those of us who meet here each Saturday have in common. First and foremost is a love and interest in baseball from today and yesterday. Next is an appreciation of pop culture, past and present. The third is that little bit of adrenaline rush presented by participating in a quiz. Fourth is the desire to have a little bit of fun and not take things too seriously. And finally, and you know what it is, all of the above.
Please be assured that this is not a marriage proposal but simply another one of my lame attempts to provide you with an introduction to this week’s quiz: people and things in common. I think you’ll find this to be fun and challenging. So put on some music or watch a movie featuring Lonnie Rashid Lynn. Who? You probably know him by his stage name, -Common (born March 13, 1972, at the Chicago Osteopathic Hospital in Hyde Park). Have fun, and learn a lot.
1. What do these White Sox have in common?
a. Jose Abreu
b. Luis Aparicio
c. Ozzie Guillen
d. Tommie Agee
2. What do these four major-leaguers have in common?
a. Kosuke Fukudome
b. Yu Darvish
c. Dave Roberts
d. Tsuyoshi Wada
3. What do these four clues have in common?
a. Ben Zobrist
b. Ronald Reagan
c. It’s in Illinois and California
d. What you will say the moment you figure out the answer to this question
4. These four have something in common. Do you know what?
a. Ernie Banks
b. Fred Rogers
c. Sebastian Cabot on “Family Affair”
d. The product in a series of commercials starring Joe DiMaggio
5. What do these folks have in common?
a. Charles Hubert Ruffing
b. Vida
c. “Three-Finger”
d. Edwin Ford
6. Use your GPS to tell me what these guys have in common.
a. Keuchel
b. Cepeda
c. Claudell
d. Bumgarner
7. These folks have something in common. What is it?
a. Aaron
b. Judith Sheindlin
c. Kenesaw Mountain Landis
d. Simon Cowell
8. They have more in common than meets the eye.
a. Aaron
b. Dean
c. Perry
d. Sherry
9. These 2022 Chicago players have something in common.
a. Andrew Vaughn
b. Luis Robert
c. Elvis Andrus
d. Alfonso Rivas
e. P.J. Higgins
f. Patrick Wisdom
g. Willson Contreras
Hope you had what is commonly known as “fun” with these questions. Stay warm. Stay safe. Stay in touch. See you next week.
ANSWERS
1. All four of these fine fellows were AL Rookies of the Year. Jose in 2014, Ozzie in 1985, Tommie in 1966 and Luis in 1956.
2. Three of these guys played for the Cubs; Dave Roberts did not. But, like Roberts, they all were born in Japan.
3. Eureka! Ben Zobrist attended Eureka High School. Ronald Reagan attended Eureka College. Eureka is the largest coastal city between San Francisco and Portland, Oregon. The Aha! moment, or eureka moment, refers to the common human experience of suddenly understanding a previously incomprehensible problem or concept.
4. Listen to Mr. Mister as I tell you that Ernie Banks was “Mr. Cub.” In his neighborhood, Fred was Mister Rogers. Sebastian Cabot played Mr. French in the sitcom “Family Affair,” led by Brian Keith. And finally, “Everyone would love to have Mr. Coffee. It’s America’s No. 1 coffee maker,” Joltin’ Joe DiMaggio said in an ad for the product.
5. Red Ruffing, Vida Blue, Mordecai “Three Finger” Brown and Whitey Ford. Orange you glad I asked a question about colors?
6. These guys are all city guys: Dallas Keuchel, Orlando Cepeda, Claudell Washington and Madison Bumgarner.
7. Order in the court! All rise for Aaron Judge, Judge Judy, former MLB commissioner Judge Landis and ubiquitous talent judge Simon Cowell.
8. More in common? These were all surnames of players of major-league brothers: Hank and Tommie Aaron, Dizzy and Paul (Daffy) Dean, Gaylord and Jim Perry, and Larry and Norm Sherry.
9. You know, in theory, this is a stats column about Chicago baseball, so don’t complain to me if I asked you to name all the Chicago players who hit a grand slam last season.
